m*- w - Clpdigital.org

700 ILLUSTRATED WORLD
. Humanity
In splendid comparison with German methods, this scene, showing two drowning
German seamen being rescued by a British submarine, gives a noble retort to the
Baralong charges.
submarine goes five hundred yards farther,
drops a second mine, and so on
until the twelve are laid.
What happens is this. A steamer
comes out. Its bow hits the big cable
connecting two mines. The lighter cable
connecting these mines to the anchors
cannot stand the strain and pulls loose
from the anchor. That leaves the two
mines loose. The steamer's bow, pressing
against the heavy cable, pulls these
two mines into the sides of the steamer,
like a fan closing, and on coming into
contact with the hull, the mines explode.
Then the submarine, watching the operation,
deliberately shows its periscope to
create the impression that the steamer
was sunk by a submarine.
These mines, five hundred yards apart,
made a chain 6,000 yards long, the location
of which the steamer knew nothing.
Much of the sinking of merchantmen reported
as the work of submarine torpedoes
was accomplished by this clever
device—that little dust-throwing trick of
for submarines.
the submarine showing
its periscope as if to say
"I did it."
The experience of
Great Britain in fighting
the submarine peril is of
great benefit to us. Submarine
war defense is
divided into two parts,
operations close to land
and operations on the
seas. The English have
been particularly successful
near their coast
line. That is because
there is much shallow
water and the bottom is
quite light along the
coast of the British Isles.
British seaplanes have
spotted submarines in
the Channel. In the
waters near the English
Coast the English Navy
has placed steel mesh
traps and they have
dragged with steel nets
They also have fenced off
lanes in the English Channel. They laid
heavy steel nets across the Channel, from
England to France. On each side of the
barrier was a gate which opened to permit
their own and neutral ships to pull
through. How successful this method
has proved is obvious from the fact that
no steamer carrying troops from England
to France has ever been sunk.
Considering a German submarine attack
on our coast, we find that we have
no English Channel as a line of communication.
Our problem is more difficult.
We can use the English wire net
system in our harbors and bays to prevent
submarines getting in. We cannot
lay steel nets, though, to convoy steamers.
The Atlantic is too big and too deep
to be fenced off like the Channel. This
makes our naval war one of fighting submarines
on the seas. Now guns on the
deck of a merchantman will not protect
our merchantman. The Aztec, one of
(Continued on page 780)